Mind, You are a LIAR!
Our Minds Don’t Tell The Truth… View this email in your browser
Before 1980, the “Big 5” cities’ orchestras, were 12% female musicians. To increase the numbers, they tried Blind Auditions.
Musicians began auditioning hidden, behind a curtain. Their sex was not revealed until hiring decisions were complete. Female musicians increased to 35%.
Women didn’t suddenly become better. The auditions became impartial. Screened auditions allowed the decision to focus on sound and quality. Women were not getting picked as often because auditioners were biased on an unconscious level, that “men were better qualified.”
Implicit Bias (IB) also termed, “Unconscious Bias” refers to mental shortcuts occurring at a subtle level, below our consciousness. These deep tracks help us to quickly make decisions and sift data.
Each second, our brains sort millions of information pieces, yet we are only able to absorb about 40. Since we must act more quickly than we would ever process all we are presented, IB has helped us to survive. The problem is IB tunes in with the familiar, comfortable and “safe.”
It forces decisions from the familiar often excluding the unfamiliar, creating blind spots. The blind spots are the reason we don’t think we are biased, yet, we are.
So what is the big deal?
We miss out on all kinds of opportunities like: relationships with people of different races, religions, sexual orientation, weight, diversified working groups and more.
How can we change our brains?
Slow down take time to register when we make a flash decision, maybe that person of Indian descent would make a really great tennis partner? It starts with taking a chance.
We have the chance every day to talk with someone who we would not usually take the time to connect. Stop, take note of such people and then take a chance. Perhaps its someone you work with, a neighbor or you are at a restaurant alone and someone sits next to you. Take the risk, perhaps it will short circuit that finely laid mind track and expose something new and good.
Learn where you are Blind…Take an Implicit Bias/Blind test. I did a few and it is nice to know I can have a more open mind.
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
Try different tactics: If you are in a life situation where you have the chance to hire people, try a different tactic, don’t look at the name first or where they went to school look only at their experience. Take a chance and interview someone that you typically wouldn’t. Or create a diversified work group. Studies prove diversity breeds better decisions because more needs are considered and voices heard.
When we break out of our biases, we have the chance for new found understanding. With more connection with those we find difference, in time, we can create new brain pathways.
Conversational Questions:
How could life change if we opened our minds to just one group we have always felt uncomfortable?
Hi, My name is, what’s yours?
Writing Prompts
“After I took the test…”
“I have never felt comfortable…”
Resources:
Blind Spot the book by Mahzarin Banaji, Ph.D. Click to read more about the book
Onbeing Podcast Krista Tippet interview with Mahzarin Banali, Ph.D. Click to hear or read the podcast
Implicit Bias Tests Click to take a test
